Army Secretary John McHugh, right, accompanied by Lt. Gen. R. Steven Whitcomb, gestures during a news conference at the Pentagon, Thursday, June 10, 2010, to discuss an investigation at Arlington National... (J. Scott Applewhite)

(Newser)
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Hundreds of bodies buried at Arlington National Cemetery have been misidentified or misplaced, an Army investigation has found, in a scandal marring the reputation of the nation's pre-eminent burial ground for its honored dead since the Civil War. The cemetery's two civilian leaders will be forced to step aside, Army Secretary John McHugh announced today, and he has appointed a new chief to conduct a more thorough investigation to examine the graves and sort out the mix-up.

"I deeply apologize to the families of the honored fallen resting in that hollowed ground who may now question the care afforded to their loved ones," McHugh told a Pentagon news conference. The investigation, launched last year after complaints of employee misconduct first reported by Salon, found at least 211 remains were identified as potentially mislabeled or misplaced, and potentially many more.